Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel rejected a request from Assistant District Attorney for Civil Rights, Harmeet Dhillon request for Wayne County election ballot records from November 2024. The request is part of what the Trump administration has described as an investigation into alleged voting irregularities in Detroit.
According to letters cited by CNN, Nessel has rejected Dhillon’s request for election materials. The requested materials included ballots, ballot receipts, and ballot envelopes.
In the letter, Nessel responded to claims made by President Donald Trump alleging widespread fraud in the elections in 2020. Trump has repeatedly claimed that votes were stolen in several states, including Michigan.
Opinion: Trump demands 2024 Wayne County ballots. He won’t get them. | Opinion https://t.co/Xkt8Ccyl5h
— Detroit Free Press (@freep) April 19, 2026
The Michigan Attorney General also pointed out Trump’s recent threat to reportedly “take over” the upcoming mid-term elections in November 2026. In the letter, Nessel shared her opinion on Dhillon’s request, based on Trump’s accusations similar to those in Fulton County.
She wrote, “I am dismayed that it appears you have decided to move forward on theories similar to those in Fulton County, in Michigan.” Nessel wrote that courts have not found evidence supporting claims of widespread fraud in the 2020 presidential election.
As mentioned by her, no court has found any solid evidence that strongly confirms Trump’s claims. Nessel called his claims “baseless” and asserted, “Michigan stands ready to defend against these claims and any attempt to interfere in Michigan’s elections.”
Two years ago I sued the @NVSOS to clean up voter rolls before an election. Today, with @AAGDhillon at DOJ, we continue to show America’s voters that voter rolls were NEVER correctly maintained, and that nothing gets done without DOJ intervention⚖️ https://t.co/bMO5t18AQ5
— Sigal Chattah (@Chattah4Nevada) April 19, 2026
Nessel wrote that her office is prepared to defend Michigan’s election procedures if challenged in court. Dhillon’s request to get ballot-related materials was ultimately denied.
Nessel didn’t just reject the request; she also provided sound legal reasoning behind her denial. Firstly, she cited the Fulton County search warrant, which the Trump administration had obtained but failed to provide supporting evidence.
Legally, a search warrant can be issued to provide evidence of a crime. But in this case, only if there’s reportedly a sworn testimony or an affidavit with “probable cause” will a warrant be issued.
That, too, has a condition within, as Nessel quoted, claiming, “It must contain adequate supporting facts about the underlying circumstances to show that probable cause exists.” Nessel pointed out that the affidavits discovered had “no impact” on the 2020 elections.
Free & fair elections are the cornerstone of our democracy. We stand with Michigan’s bipartisan election officials to protect the integrity of our elections & privacy of our voters. It’s what the law requires of us, & we will follow the law, even if the federal gov’t refuses to. https://t.co/PKJhP9MpUw
— Dana Nessel (@dananessel) April 19, 2026
Nessel wrote that previous efforts to obtain similar materials amounted to what she described as a “fishing expedition.” Similarly, Nessel highlighted other instances of Trump’s alleged targets for ballot records to support claims of an unfair election.
Nessel cited multiple legal precedents and past cases in explaining her decision. In her closing remarks, she claimed that should it come to it, Nessel is “prepared to do anything in her power” to fight and protect an individual’s right to vote.
This is also based on her belief that free and fair elections are “cornerstones” of America’s democracy. It remains unclear whether federal officials will pursue additional legal action to obtain the requested materials.
